PERTINENT PISIDIAN PREACHING
Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, open my mind and heart to receive what you have for me today. As I come to your Word, fill me with your Spirit and help me to follow Jesus in ways that proclaim his love for others to see.
Read ACTS 13:13–25
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
In Pisidian Antioch
13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”
16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct[a] in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.
“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
Footnotes
- Acts 13:18 Some manuscripts he cared for them
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”1
Paul and his companions depart Paphos and travel to Pisidian Antioch, where his first major speech takes place. This is another Antioch, in the region of Pisidia; in fact, there are at least fifteen cities named Antioch in the empire, mostly named after Antiochus, king of Syria after the death of Alexander the Great. But why Pisidian Antioch? Interestingly, scholars have found inscriptions indicating that Sergius Paulus was from there originally and it could be that he urged them to go and share the good news with his relatives. If so, this again hints at the role social networks play behind the scenes in Paul’s travel choices.
They again go first to the synagogue—this is a logical strategy, for they are received as traveling Jewish teachers and provided with a receptive audience (v. 15). Paul begins by addressing two groups: his Jewish hearers and ‘Gentiles who worship God’ (v. 16). This second group, commonly known as ‘God-fearers’, are not full Jewish converts but synagogue adherents on the fringes of the Jewish community. They are a frequent narrative theme in Acts and are often Paul’s most receptive audience, for they are drawn to his message because it shares Jewish Scripture, theology, and ethics, but lacks the cultural requirements for full conversion, such as circumcision and dietary requirements.
Paul goes on to provide a masterclass in contextual preaching, filled with allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures. He begins with a sweep of biblical history, clearly wanting his hearers to understand that his message is not based on isolated proof texts but on the whole pattern of God’s working throughout history. Paul delivers a thoroughly Jewish speech, crafting his case for Christ from Scripture that is relevant and authoritative to his synagogue listeners.
Apply
You may not have a natural audience like Paul—but who in your life is receptive to the gospel? How can you speak of Christ so that they may hear?
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, I want my words and actions to show others who my Savior is. Help me, that all of what I say and do is winsome, drawing others to Jesus.
1 John 4:35
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